This invention relates to a stair mat adapted to be installed on stairs, especially stairs arranged on the inside of a building.
In general, stair nosings are installed on the edge of steps for the purpose of preventing of one from missing his or her footing on the stairs. Also, carpeting is usually applied to the stairs for aesthetic and a sound absorption, purposes as well as for its buffer action, thermal insulation and flexibility. The carpeting is ordinarily fixed by stair rods.
Each tread of the stairs is generally covered with a piece of a carpet. In this case, at the time of going up and down the stairs, the front edge of the step is the most dangerous portion because it is slippery, and is apt to cause serious injury because of the propensity to stumble and fall. Moreover, the forward edge of the carpet tends to break easily as against the other portion of the carpet, and the forward edge of the carpet can be partially torn off, and may cause stumbling, since the front edge of the step is located lower than rest of the carpet.
However, in the case of installing only stair nosings, the sound absorption, the thermal insulation and the flexibility are lacking on the steps and the buffer action is insufficient. However, in the case of installing only carpets, the carpets are worn away at the edge of the steps, must be changed frequently and tend to become dirty quickly. This is, of course, uneconomical, and therefore; the stair nosing and the narrow carpet are connected in one united body, or are combined and separately and installed on the steps. However, the former integral body is econmical when either the stair nosing or the carpet is worn away or damaged and it is difficult to replace such unit. On the other hand, the latter type units cannot be easily installed. Moreover, the latter type unit bring into existence the problem of undesirable dispersion, because it must be installed in a manner such that the stair nosing and the carpet are put side by side or one above the other when a nail or a screw is driven into the carpet.